Ludacris has been working on a new album, Red Light District, that he promised fans would come out by the end of the year. But if the loquacious rapper keeps taking on side projects, he may not live up to his word.

The rapper has just signed on for a movie called "Hustle & Flow" that'll shoot for one month starting in July, according to New Deal Productions, director John Singleton's production company. Singleton ("Boyz N the Hood," "Higher Learning") last worked with Ludacris when he directed the rapper in last year's "2 Fast 2 Furious."

"Hustle & Flow" follows the story of a street hustler type who undergoes an identity crisis and wants to become a rapper. Relative newcomer Craig Brewer will direct the project, with Terrence Howard ("Big Momma's House") and Anthony Anderson ("Barbershop") co-starring.